Zhang, better known by his stage name "Liu Xiao Ling Tong". He performed during the 2004 gala show during the last Year of the Monkey, but it was a last-minute decision and he had not been invited at the beginning.
"I have made no other work plans for the New Year's eve. I can be ready for the show at any minute," Zhang told Xinhua in an exclusive interview, adding that he had received no invitation from CCTV yet.
It remains unclear why CCTV did not invite Zhang to the show. Some wonder whether it is because Zhang recently became a Pepsi spokesperson and Pepsi did not sponsor the event. However, such speculation cannot be verified.
There are also suspicions that the online outcry was partly a marketing hype that would benefit Zhang and Pepsi, which cannot be confirmed either.
But a majority of people interviewed by Xinhua said they would like to see Zhang on stage, because the actor reminds them of their good old days watching the TV series "Journey to the West".
The TV series, adapted from a 16th-century novel, first hit the small screen three decades ago, starring Zhang as the "Monkey King". It has been aired more than 3,000 times and is a cornerstone of the nation's pop culture.
As one of the four classics of Chinese literature, the novel is a greatly embellished recounting of a real pilgrimage made during the Tang Dynasty (618--907) by Buddhist monk Xuanzang, as he traveled to the "West", which is in fact India, in search of sacred scriptures.
With a dragon-prince in the form of a white horse as his steed, Xuanzang is accompanied on his quest by three disciples, Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), Zhu Wuneng (Pigsy) and Sha Wujing (water buffalo).
According to the novel, the Monkey King is a hero with many superpowers. Incredibly strong and fast, he is a shape-shifter capable of taking on 72 different forms. He is a great fighter and each of his hairs can be transformed into weapons, animals or other objects.
For many Westerners, the TV series was their first encounter with Chinese culture. For many Chinese, Zhang's portrayal of the simian swashbuckler will never be surpassed.
Apart from CCTV's opera show, Zhang has been invited to perform at several gala shows hosted by local televisions, but not on New Year's eve.
